What foods can dogs not eat?
Some human foods are dangerous for dogs. Here is the list, sorted by how serious. If your dog already ate one, scroll to the action steps at the bottom — or call your vet right now.
If your dog already ate something
Call ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 — or your vet. Have ready: your dog's weight, what they ate, how much, and when.
Quick reference
| Food | Risk | Vet now? |
|---|---|---|
| Xylitol (gum, sugar-free PB) | Severe | Yes — minutes count |
| Grapes and raisins | Severe (unpredictable) | Yes |
| Chocolate (dark, baking) | Severe | Yes |
| Onion, garlic, chives | Moderate to severe | Yes if any amount |
| Macadamia nuts | Moderate | Yes |
| Alcohol, yeast dough | Severe | Yes |
| Caffeine (coffee, tea) | Severe | Yes |
| Cooked bones | Mechanical risk | If symptoms appear |
| Fat trimmings, fried food | Pancreatitis risk | If symptoms appear |
| Salt (large amounts) | Moderate | Call for guidance |
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Always call your vet first
One rule before everything below: when a dog eats something they should not have, call your vet or call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. The poison control line charges a consultation fee, and it's worth every dollar — they handle thousands of cases a day and will tell you exactly what to do for the specific food, dose, and timing.
Do not induce vomiting at home unless a vet specifically tells you to. For some toxins (caustic substances, sharp objects, late ingestions where the food is past the stomach), making the dog vomit makes things worse. The vet is faster than the internet — call first, then research.
Chocolate, coffee, and caffeine
All three contain compounds called methylxanthines — caffeine and theobromine. Dogs metabolize these much slower than humans do, so what wakes you up can poison your dog.
Severity depends on three things: dog weight, type of chocolate, and amount eaten. Dark chocolate and baker's chocolate have the most theobromine — they are the worst. Milk chocolate is less dangerous. White chocolate barely registers. A 10-pound dog can show poisoning symptoms from less than an ounce of dark chocolate. The same dog might tolerate a small piece of milk chocolate without serious effects.
Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, panting, restlessness, high heart rate, tremors, and at lethal doses, seizures. Symptoms typically show up within 6-12 hours. Call your vet — do not wait for symptoms.
Grapes and raisins
Researchers identified tartaric acid as the likely toxic component in 2021. Dogs lack the transporter humans use to clear tartaric acid from the body, so it builds up and damages the kidneys.
One opinion you should know: there is no safe dose. Some dogs develop acute kidney injury from as few as 4-5 grapes. Other dogs eat dozens without effect. Sensitivity varies a lot between individual dogs and even between grape varieties. Cornell's veterinary school is explicit: any grape or raisin ingestion is a veterinary emergency.
Raisins are dehydrated grapes — by weight, the tartaric acid is more concentrated. But Cornell's published triage threshold doesn't differentiate per piece: the same one-piece-per-10-lb rule applies to either form. Treat raisins as just as serious as grapes, not less. If your dog ate either one, call your vet.
For a quick risk-tier check on amount eaten plus dog weight, use the dog grape toxicity calculator or the dog raisin toxicity calculator. Both treat any ingestion as a call-the-vet event.
Onion, garlic, and chives (the allium family)
All members of the onion family — onions, garlic, chives, leeks, scallions — contain compounds that damage red blood cells in dogs and cats. The damage is dose-dependent and cumulative — a small piece of garlic in soup is unlikely to harm a 60-pound dog, but repeated exposure or larger doses cause anemia.
Garlic is more concentrated than onion — roughly five times more potent gram for gram. Cooked, raw, or powdered all count. The garlic-powder dose in a homemade meatball might not seem like much, but for a small dog it can add up.
Symptoms (vomiting, weakness, pale gums, dark urine) can be delayed by days. Call your vet for any deliberate-feeding mistake.
Xylitol (the silent kitchen killer)
Xylitol is a sugar substitute used in sugar-free gum, sugar-free baked goods, some peanut butters, mouthwash, and many medications. In dogs it triggers a massive insulin release — blood sugar crashes within 30 minutes. At higher doses it causes liver failure 24-48 hours later.
Toxic doses are tiny. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) starts at about 100 mg per kilogram of body weight (roughly 45 mg per pound). Liver damage can start above 500 mg per kilogram (227 mg per pound). A single piece of xylitol gum can contain 0.3 to 1 gram of xylitol — that is enough to drop a small dog into hypoglycemia.
One opinion worth having: read your peanut butter label every time. Xylitol shows up under names like "birch sugar," "sugar alcohol," or "polyalcohol." Specialty brands marketed as "sugar-free" or "keto-friendly" are the most likely culprits. Mainstream peanut butters (Skippy, Jif, Peter Pan) are typically xylitol-free, but check anyway. The label is two seconds. The vet bill is not.
Macadamia nuts (and other nuts)
Macadamia nuts are uniquely toxic to dogs through a mechanism that is still not well understood. Dogs that eat them get weak, wobbly, vomit, and sometimes run a fever. Symptoms usually start within 12 hours and resolve in 24-72 hours with vet support.
Other nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans) are not specifically toxic but are high in fat and can trigger pancreatitis, especially in dogs prone to it. They can also be choking hazards. Peanuts and cashews in moderation are usually fine. Walnut shells are harder to digest than the nut itself.
Other things to keep away from dogs
- Alcohol. Any amount. Beer, wine, spirits, food cooked with alcohol that has not boiled off — all dangerous. Symptoms include wobbliness, vomiting, dangerously low body temperature, and breathing problems. A small dog can be in serious trouble from a few sips.
- Yeast bread dough. Raw dough rises in the warm stomach and produces alcohol as the yeast ferments — double trouble. Bloating plus alcohol poisoning. Vet now if a dog eats raw rising dough.
- Cooked bones. They splinter. The fragments cause choking, blocked intestines, or punctures. Raw bones are safer mechanically but carry bacteria. Safest chews are dental-specific dog chews from a reputable brand.
- Fat trimmings and fried food. Trigger pancreatitis — painful inflammation of the pancreas that can require hospitalization. Especially risky in schnauzers, miniature breeds, and overweight dogs.
- Salt and salty snacks. Large amounts cause excessive thirst and urination, then tremors and seizures at very high doses. Pretzels and chips in small amounts are unlikely to harm a medium-sized dog, but salt-dough crafts and pickled foods can.
- Avocado. The flesh is mostly fine for dogs in small amounts, but the pit is a choking hazard and the skin contains persin (mostly a bird and large-animal toxin, mild for dogs).
What to do right now if your dog ate something
- Note exactly what. Brand, type, dose if known. Take a photo of the packaging. For chocolate, dark vs milk vs baking matters. For peanut butter, take a picture of the ingredient list.
- Note how much. Best estimate of grams or pieces. Too high is safer than too low — vets would rather treat a smaller dose than miss a bigger one.
- Note when. Time of ingestion matters for treatment options. Within 2 hours, induced vomiting is sometimes useful. After that, the food is past the stomach.
- Call. Your vet first if they are open. ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435 if not. Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661 is the other major option.
- Do not induce vomiting at home unless told to. For some toxins it makes things worse. The vet decides based on the toxin and timing.
Questions worth asking
What are the most dangerous foods for dogs?
Top of the list: xylitol (the sugar substitute in gum and many peanut butters), chocolate, grapes and raisins, onions and garlic, alcohol, and macadamia nuts. Xylitol can cause life-threatening hypoglycemia and liver failure in tiny amounts. Grapes can cause kidney failure with no predictable safe dose. Chocolate severity depends on how dark and how much. Always call your vet or ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 if your dog eats any of these.
How much chocolate can kill a dog?
It depends on the chocolate type and the dog's weight. Dark chocolate and baker's chocolate are the worst — they have the most theobromine, the toxic compound. Milk chocolate is less concentrated. White chocolate is barely toxic. As a rough guide, the toxic dose of theobromine starts around 20 mg per kg of dog body weight, and lethal doses are around 100-200 mg/kg. A 10-pound dog can be poisoned by less than an ounce of dark chocolate. When in doubt, call poison control.
Can a dog die from eating grapes or raisins?
Yes, and the dose is unpredictable. Researchers identified tartaric acid as the likely toxic component in 2021. Some dogs develop acute kidney injury from as few as 4-5 grapes; others eat dozens with no effect. There's no established safe dose. Cornell's published triage threshold is the same per piece for grapes or raisins: more than one piece per 10 pounds of body weight. Treat any grape or raisin ingestion as a vet emergency.
What should I do if my dog ate something toxic?
Three steps. First, note exactly what the dog ate, how much, and when. Second, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 — APCC charges a consultation fee but talks you through next steps with vet-grade expertise. Third, do not induce vomiting at home unless a vet specifically tells you to — for some toxins (caustic substances, sharp objects, post-2-hour ingestions), vomiting makes things worse.
Is peanut butter safe for dogs?
Plain peanut butter without xylitol is fine in moderation. Peanut butter with xylitol is one of the most dangerous products in any household. Always check the ingredient label — xylitol may be listed as 'birch sugar.' Common brands like Skippy, Jif, and Peter Pan are typically xylitol-free, but specialty 'sugar-free' or 'keto-friendly' brands often contain it. If your dog ate xylitol-containing peanut butter, this is an emergency — call your vet within minutes.
Are bones dangerous for dogs?
Cooked bones, yes. They splinter and can cause choking, blocked intestines, or punctured organs. Raw meaty bones are safer mechanically but carry bacterial contamination risks. The safest chew options are dental-specific dog chews and reputable rawhide alternatives — not table scrap bones. If your dog swallowed a cooked bone, watch for choking, vomiting, or any sign of blockage and call your vet.
Sources
Full source list with verbatim quotes lives at /methodology. Specific to this guide:
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets — the canonical reference list and the dog-poisoning hotline. APCC: (888) 426-4435. aspca.org people-foods-avoid-feeding-your-pets
- ASPCA Pro. "Toxic Component in Grapes and Raisins Identified" — the 2021 finding that tartaric acid is the likely toxic component in grapes and raisins. aspcapro.org toxic-component-grapes-and-raisins
- Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Grape and raisin toxicity in dogs — clinical guidance and dose variability discussion. vet.cornell.edu grape-raisin-toxicity
- Merck Veterinary Manual. Xylitol toxicosis in dogs — the 100 mg/kg hypoglycemia and 500 mg/kg liver-failure thresholds. merckvetmanual.com xylitol-toxicosis
- VCA Animal Hospitals. Grape, raisin, and currant poisoning in dogs — owner-facing emergency guidance. vcahospitals.com grape-raisin-currant-poisoning
Pairs with this guide: the dog chocolate toxicity calculator (theobromine dose tier by chocolate type and dog weight), the dog grape toxicity calculator (severity tier from grapes + dog weight), the dog raisin toxicity calculator (same engine, raisin-concentration adjusted), and the dog calorie calculator (the 10% treat-budget rule — even safe human foods crowd out balanced nutrition past 10% of daily calories).